Aeroplane.



A. F. RUSS.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31. 1915.

1,227,937. Patented May 29, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A.F.RUS&

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR, 31. 1916.

Patented May 29, 1917.

-3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES INVENTORA 1 I an UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIcE.

.., ADOLF FRANK RUSS, F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

AEROPLANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

1,227,937. Patented May 29, 1917.

Application filed March 31, 1916. Serial No. 88,127.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Anonn FRANK Ross, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, a citizen of the United States, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes, of which improvements the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to improve the general construction and arrangement of aeroplanes and their constituent parts, to the end that such machines may be more stable in flight and may be operated with greater ease and efiiciency. A further ob- ]ect of my invention is to provide an aeroplane having sustaining wings that may be quickly folded into small compass for storage or other purposes.

In the accompanying sheets of drawings, which form part of my specification, I have illustrated one embodiment of my invention. Figures 1, 2 and 3 are, respectively, side, end and plan views of the aeroplane; and Figs. 4, and 6, are respectively, sectional views to enlarged scale taken on the lines IVIV, V-V, and VIV'I, Fig. 3.

The aeroplane which I provide includes the usual essential elements, namely, a carriage, propelling mechanism, steering mechanism and supporting wings.

While, as far as some features of my invention are concerned, the carriage may be of any desired shape and construction, it is, for the purpose of diminishing head resistance, preferably tapered at both front and rear ends, as seen in Fig. 1, and comprises sides 1 and 1, wing supports 2 and front andrear trucks 3 and 4. The propeller 5 is preferably laced at the front of the machine and a s ort distance to the rear of the front end of the supporting wings. For rotating the propeller a V-type internal combustion motor 26 may be used.

The steering mechanism, placed at the rear of the carriage, comprises vertical and horizontal rudders. I preferably provide two vertical rudders 6 and 6", one being secured to each side of the carriage beneath the supporting wings and adapted to be turned outwardly by controlling cords 7 and 7. By providing two rudders, one or the other may be used to cause the machine to turn to the right or to the left as desired and with a minimum of head resistance. Furthermore, by causing both rudders to stand outwardly, a substantial braking effect may be had when alighting, or when at other times such braking may be necessary or desirable. The horizontal rudder 8 is pivoted as at 9, to the rear end of the carriage below the vertical rudders and at a point intermediate of the length of such rudder. The portion of this rudder lying forwardly of the pivotal axis 9 is inclosed within the carriage body and hence offers no head resistance when the rudder is tilted. To obtain the proper leverage for manipulating the horizontal rudder, controlling cords 10 and 10 are secured to the forward end thereof, and, extending over suitable pulleys, are attached to levers 11 and 11 which may be moved by the operators feet.

As aeroplanes of the type contemplated by my invention have heretofore been constructed, the wings cannot be readily brought into a small compass for the purpose of storing or shipping such machines. Consequently, when not flying, such machines usually require considerable space for occupancy. To overcome this undesirable. feature of aeroplane construction, the wings which I provide, although efficient sustaining planes, may be quickly folded into a small space. While, as far as this feature of my invention is concerned, the wings may be of any desired shape, those shown herein are triangular, having, for purposes presently to be explained, their adjacent edges substantially parallel to the longitudinal extent of the carriage.

Referring more particularly to the wing construction shown in the drawings, the wings 12 and 12 are secured to the supports 2 of the carriage at a point substantially above the center of gravity thereof, the adjacent edges of the wings lying one at each side of the carriage, thus affording an air passage-way between the wings. The frame for each wing includes an elongate inner edge member 13 having a convex top and a substantially straight bottom, and a rigid front edge member 14 pivotally attached to the forward end of the member 13 and extending to the outer end of the wing. Flexible membranes 15 and 16, of any suitable material are secured to the upper and lower edges of each member 13 and meet at the forward and rear edges and outer end of the wings. As indicated in Figs. 3 and 4:, these membranes extend also between the frame members 13 at the forward end of the machine. To hold the wings in operative flying positions, suitable struts and stays are provided, they preferably extending from the outer ends of and beneath the wings to the carriage, to which they are detachably connected. As shown in the drawings there is a single rigid strut 17 and two flexible stays 18 and 18 for each wing, the strut being detachably connected to the carriage by means of a pin or bolt 19, and the stays being engaged by hooks 20 at points below the attachment of the struts.

It will be observed of the wings which I have just described that their forward and inner edges are braced and held rigid by the members 13 and 1%, while the rear edges, although held taut by the stays and struts, are otherwise unsupported. In the normal operation of flight the lower membranes 16 will arch upwardly as indicated in Fig. 6 by the dotted line 21, the extent of such arching varying with relation to the air pres sure upon the membranes, and the resistance to the air varying with relation to the extent of the arching. Thus, by tilting the horizontal rudder upwardly, the resulting upward inclination of the aeroplane will cause more wing surface to be presented to the air, and hence the lower membrane will be arched by the increased pressure. This arching of the membrane has the further effect of increasing the resistance to the air, so that the lifting effect will be greater for a given inclination of the machine or wing than it would be if the lower membranes of the wings were not flexible. In a similar manner, when diminishing the upward inclination of the wings, the arching of the lower membrane will be lessened, with the result that there will be less head resistance than if the membrane were rigidly held in arched position.

The aeroplane which I provide is constructed and arranged. for increased stability. For this purpose the center of gravity of the machine is substantially below the plane of the supporting wings, and the wings are triangular in shape, each having one side parallel to the carriage. A further feature of construction contributing toward stability is the air passage-way between the adjacent edges of the wings, as seen particularly in Fig. 6. When a cross current of air, flowing toward the side of the aeroplane, strikes the lower surface of one wing and tilts the machine, such air, or a large portion of it, will pass through the air passage between the wings and thence along the upper surface of the other wing, the result being that the upsetting effect of such air current will be reduced to a minimum and the machine (its center of gravity being below the plane of the wings) will quickly return to the proper position.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described the principle and operation of my improved aeroplane, together with the construction which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof. However, I desire to have it understood that the aeroplane which I have shown is only illustrative, and that my invention may be practised in other forms of aeroplanes than that shown.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an aeroplane, the combination of a carriage provided with propelling and steering mechanism, a laterally-extending foldable supporting wing having at its forward edge a rigid member pivotally secured to said carriage, a strut extending from the outer ends of and below said wing and detachably secured to the carriage, and a stay extending from the outer end of and below said wing and detachably secured to said carriage at a point below the attachment of said strut thereto.

2. In an aeroplane, the combination of a carriage provided with propelling and steering mechanism, a laterally-extendin triangular supporting wing having at its orward edge a rigid member pivotally secured to said carriage, the sustaining surface of said wing being formed of a foldable member, and a strut and a stay extending from the outer end of said wing and each detachably connected to said carriage.

3. In an aeroplane, the combination of a carriage provided with propelling and steering mechanism, a laterally-extending triangular supporting wing having upper and lower membranes, the edges of said membranes adjacent to said carriage being secured one to the top and the other to the bottom of an elongate frame member having a convex top and a substantially straight line bottom and said membranes meeting each other at the forward and rearward edges and the outer end of the wing, the lower membrane of said wing being flexible and unsupported medially and thereby adapted to conform to the variable air pressure upon it.

4. In an aeroplane, the combination of a carriage provided with propelling and steering mechanism, a laterally-extending triangular supporting wing having upper and lower flexible membranes, the edges of said tending from the outer end of said Wing and membranes adjacent to said carriage being each detachably connected to said carriage. 10 secured one to the top and the other to the In testimony whereof I have hereunto set bottom of an elongate frame member having my hand.

a convex top and a substantially straight line ADOLF FRANK RUSS. bottom, said membranes meeting each other Witnesses:

at the forward and rear edges and the outer PAUL N. CRITGHLOW,

end of the Wing, and a strut and a stay ex- FRANCIS J. TOMASSOH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

